One thing I will add is that Pink Floyd should be in the 70's discussion.

We're agreeing on way too much.

I don't know about Pearl Jam as THE artist of the 90's. Certainly up there but Nirvana and Radiohead have a pretty exceptional regard, and when people think of grunge, they think of Nirvana. What about someone like Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys as well?

And crikey No Code is an amazing album, hope it gets some fair representation in the set when I experience Pearl Jam live in 3 days time.

I don't agree with Pearl Jam either. Great band, great albums, but you're right, Nirvana's impact was much greater even with their smaller output. In terms of output and consistency I'd say R.E.M., who put out five good-to-great albums in the 90's, but do they symbolize the decade? Does Shuttlecock, really? By 1997 they were irrelevant to a LOT of people who thought they had lost the plot.

The pop groups you mention really don't have any critical or crossover standing, so it's hard to really consider them.

Part of me wants to sugest Beck, because he really took on a lot of different styles over the decade, integrated a lot of hip hop/rap elements into his collage approach, and had a pretty high level of popularity and critical acclaim. He also symbolizes the rise of "alternative" music into the mainstream that was so prevalent in the decade. Only problem is that he didn't appear until 1994.

One thing I will add is that Pink Floyd should be in the 70's discussion. While not as popular as Led Zeppelin, they're pretty close, and were just as influential, just in a different direction. Hard to discount the impact of Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall, not to mention Meddle and Animals. They completely revolutionized the conceptual music film (something Zeppelin failed miserably with their release of The Song Remains The Same), and obviously set new standards for live stage shows.

The rest of that 70's discussion goes like this, though: Led Zeppelin had the greatest guitar ever, the greatest vocalist ever, the greatest drummer ever, and possibly the greatest bassist ever, IN THE SAME BAND.

One thing that throws me off about Zeppelin being artist of the 70s is that their first two (and two of their greatest and most iconic and influential) albums came out in the 60s. I don't know, I'd probably still give them the spot, though.

And, yeah, I'm as big a PJ fan as there is around here and there's no way they should be ahead of Nirvana for artist of the 90s. In my opinyun.

And, yeah, I'm as big a PJ fan as there is around here and there's no way they should be ahead of Nirvana for artist of the 90s. In my opinyun.

I was explaining to someone who shall remain anonymous* that my biggest gripe with Pearl Jam is that their fans are too likable. I don't actually have anything against their music or the guys themselves, which is probably what infuriates me the most.

I don't actually know that many Pearl Jam fans in real life, just a couple of my buddies. And they are likable guys so you may be right. They also smoke more weed than Cheech, Chong, Snoop, Bill Clinton, and Willie Nelson combined. Perhaps that has something to do with the likability.

Also, what do you guys think about 2Pac as a candidate for artist of the 90s? He was incredibly prolific and was a huge part of the big gangsta rap scene that was so prevalent and influential in the first part of the decade. And he was awesome.

what's also something to consider is that, though we can think of a "decade" as having a sound, that sound usually becomes too attached to the decade and then becomes a signifier of a time that has passed, hence dated. that probably does apply to MJ, Madonnna, and Prince, rather than U2 or REM. and it might likewise apply to The Eagles.

it's also tough because so many artists have spanned decades.

can you argue with Springsteen '75-'85? or U2 '85-'95? or the Stones '65-'75?

interesting discussion. what's also a bummer is that, though we can think of a "decade" as having a sound, that sound usually becomes too attached to the decade and then becomes a signifier of a time that has passed, hence dated. that probably does apply to MJ, Madonnna, and Prince, rather than U2 or REM.

it's also tough because so many artists have spanned decades.

can you argue with Springsteen '75-'85? or U2 '85-'95? or the Stones '65-'75?

you bring up a good point. U2 really did dominate from '85-'95. i mean, they were still the biggest thing around during both the "hair band" and "grunge" eras.

Would it be possible to take Kanye out of the 2000s discussion simply because he's a colossal asshole? I'm giving my vote to Radiohead because of the huge impact and mindfuck of both Kid A as an artistic statement and the In Rainbows "pay what you want" thing. The impact of Kid A and In Rainbows (both its marketing scheme and the brilliant content of the album itself) will be felt longer than Kanye's work, in my opinion.

Is Kanye a colossal asshole or does he in fact suffer from a mental illness? Many brilliant artists have serious issues. He likely won't ever get the help he needs because he's surrounded by sycophants and idolizers, but I truly do think he is either bi-polar or borderline personality disorder.

But let's say we take Kanye out of the discussion? Suggest another artist then, and it has to be hip hop. Why does it have to be hip hop? Because as another poster pointed out, hip hop has ruled the 2000s. It was getting there mid-late 90s, but the 2000s are dominated by hip hop artists and hip hop influences, some more obvious and some rooted pretty deeply.

So who, then?

The discussion/choices so far have been limited to rock artists, but in reality, rock artists do not rule the music scene in this decade, and it could be argued that they haven't even really even produced the best music, from a creative standpoint.

I think despite him taking time off emiemn still had a big impact. His albums, at least the the 3 in the first half were treated like events. Gorillaz are great but only 2 albums. You could make a case for alot of bands in the 70's. how about kraftwerk? parliament? black sabbath? these bands were unbelievably influential and important to their genres.

The 90's Radiohead for breaking out with Creep, The Bends and OK Computer and influencing truckloads of British bands like Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Travis etc. though certainly a great PR move with the Rainbows release.

00s - Colplay for three popular and acclaimed albums and a praised debut ahead of that in a very fragmented scene, and conquering America.

Is Kanye a colossal asshole or does he in fact suffer from a mental illness? Many brilliant artists have serious issues. He likely won't ever get the help he needs because he's surrounded by sycophants and idolizers, but I truly do think he is either bi-polar or borderline personality disorder.

But let's say we take Kanye out of the discussion? Suggest another artist then, and it has to be hip hop. Why does it have to be hip hop? Because as another poster pointed out, hip hop has ruled the 2000s. It was getting there mid-late 90s, but the 2000s are dominated by hip hop artists and hip hop influences, some more obvious and some rooted pretty deeply.

It seems a bit silly and arbitrary to say that the artist of the decade has to be a hip hop artist. Kind of defeating the purpose of trying to determine artist of the decade if you're limiting the choices to just one of the numerous genres of music, no?

Quote:

Originally Posted by gvox

The discussion/choices so far have been limited to rock artists

Ummmm, no they haven't...hence our talking about Kanye right now. It actually seems that a good number of people feel Kanye is worthy of being in the discussion. I'll say that I'm one of those people, by the way. College Dropout was, to use a bit of a cliche, a breath of fresh air in the music industry and is one of my favorite albums of the decade.

Now I don't know if the man is bi-polar or has any other mental illness. I'll have to consult my DSM IV later. I called him a colossal asshole because if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it usually is a duck.

The rest of that 70's discussion goes like this, though: Led Zeppelin had the greatest guitar ever, the greatest vocalist ever, the greatest drummer ever, and possibly the greatest bassist ever, IN THE SAME BAND.